View full sizeKatherine Heekin is among three Democratic candidates to replace John Kroger.

Katherine Heekin may not have experience as a prosecutor, but the Portland attorney points to her 17-year history of investigating fraud, pressing civil suits and providing evidence to law enforcement in criminal cases.

"I have played the role of citizen cop in some ways," said Heekin, who on Thursday announced she is running for Oregon attorney general. Heekin, a certified fraud examiner, said her background also gives her expertise in protecting Oregonians from corporate fraud and cyber crime.

"There are still too many people who are struggling to stay in their homes," she said. "We need to keep them in their homes and protect them from predatory lending... We're not done with that work."

Heekin becomes the third Democratic candidate to enter the race to replace Attorney General John Kroger. Kroger announced last fall that he would not seek re-election for undisclosed health reasons.

Although no one has entered the race for the Republican nomination, Portland attorney Jill O'Dell confirmed that she has had discussions with state Republican Party Chairman Allen Alley about a possible run.

Heekin, 44, grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., and earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. While working in Northern California on a dude ranch, she decided she wanted to live on the West Coast and earned her law degree from University of Oregon in 1994.

She clerked for then-Lane County Circuit Judge Ann Aiken, who oversaw both criminal cases and foster care cases, and says she developed an understanding of the state's role in protecting children. She later clerked for Aiken briefly after the now-chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Oregon was first appointed to the federal bench.

Heekin also worked for Frohnmayer Deatherage, a Medford law firm. Bill Deatherage offered his support for her candidacy in a statement, saying: "Katherine has always been a fighter and will not back down from the challenges of the job and what needs to be done to make Oregon a fair and safe place to live."

She then worked for two other Portland law firms -- Keating, Jones, Bildstein & Hughes and Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf.

As founder of The Heekin Law Firm in 2005, she has represented small, family-owned businesses, nonprofits, small technology companies and individuals in business disputes or fraud claims.

She also recently represented the nonprofit Southwest Neighborhoods Inc. as it investigated theft by a former operations manager. The former operations manager, Virginia Stromer, pleaded guilty last November to seven counts of first-degree aggravated theft and four counts of first-degree theft.

Heekin is past president of the Federal Bar Association Oregon Chapter and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She is also a founding board member of the Children's Relief Nursery and is a community member of the Portland Police Interview and Assessment Panel.

Heekin has launched a website, KatherineHeekin.com, and has raised more than $17,000 in contributions in 2011 and 2012. Rosenblum has raised $15,000 and Holton's committee has not yet reported any contributions.